Gray-Little honored by University of North Carolina

LAWRENCE – Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little has been honored with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Board of Trustees’ highest award.

At a ceremony Wednesday night, Gray-Little received the William Richardson Davie Award, which recognizes extraordinary service to the university or society.

“I am truly honored to be a recipient of this distinctive award. Honestly, I never once imagined myself among the recipients. I’m very proud of my career at Carolina and what we accomplished there,” said Gray-Little.

“UNC is one of the institutions KU considers an aspirational peer, and there are striking similarities between the two universities. We both have tremendous opportunities to contribute to society by educating leaders and making discoveries, and we both face budget constraints, among other challenges,” she said.

Gray-Little became KU’s 17th chancellor in 2009 after serving as executive vice chancellor and provost of UNC at Chapel Hill since 2006. She had joined the UNC faculty in 1971, advancing from assistant professor to director of the graduate program in psychology, chair of the department, senior associate dean for undergraduate education, executive associate provost, and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences before becoming provost.

The Davie Award was established in 1984 and is named for the Revolutionary War hero considered to be the father of UNC at Chapel Hill.

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